Trent and Amber have been married for eight years. They have three children. The oldest, an 11 year old daughter who joined their family with Amber, is a sweet, loving child who enjoys softball and soccer. Together, they have two young sons. The four year old is hilarious and loves helping Dad with yard-work and car repairs. The baby is two and he is obsessed with tractors and trains. As a family, they enjoy being active in their church, escaping to the outdoors, and engaging in community activities.

Adoption was something they talked about from time to time. They always considered it down the road, when their children were older; when timing was more convenient. After watching local friends go through a domestic adoption, their hearts started to stir. They considered becoming respite caregivers for foster families. It was during this time of consideration their eyes were opened to the orphan crisis in the world. They were introduced to Reece’s Rainbow, particularly children with special needs in Eastern Europe. After watching a close friend commit to a child and go through the adoption process, Amber prayed that if this was God’s will for their lives now, that He would make it known to them. One day, she showed Trent a picture of a little boy, which had become pretty routine in their house, but this time he responded with, “OK. Find out what we need to do to get him home.” They knew then that they couldn’t say “but later” any longer. God had called them to make a difference to one.

They are thrilled to welcome home their son and cannot wait to start their journey as a family of six!

2/1/2018 — FIRST TRIP FEB 26

$6,218.06
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

The Ewer family has started their adoption journey to adopt a little boy named Jonathan.They are so excited to bring him home and call him their son! Along with the title son he will also gain the title of “big brother”, “little brother”, and of course gain the title of “orphan no more!”

Jonathan will not only have parents who love him but ten siblings to love him as well! He desperately needs LOVE and a FAMILY! International adoption is very expensive but they know that this is the path God has called them on. Please help them get to their son by helping them chip away at the mountain of expenses that lies in their path! Thank you so much!

“We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.” – Radical by David Platt

2/9/18 — TRAVELING in FEB

$5,574.11
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Jeff and Angel Jarvis have been married for 34 years. They have one grown son. They met at church where Angel was the organist. Most of their life has been dedicated to the needs of others, and raising their son Matthew. They have been blessed to live in several states where they spend a great deal of time outside enjoying tennis and walking to stay fit.

Angel has been a member of the Reece’s Rainbow group for 3 years, and has been actively helping other families raise funds to get their kids home the whole time through advocating. Both Angel and Jeff are active members in their community and are always eager to lend a helping hand wherever they are needed. In either mowing a neighbors lawn or transporting someone to a doctors appointment. Angel knew in her heart that their family was intended for more than just advocacy and shared this is Jeff. Initially he felt advocacy was all he felt led to do. So Angel continued to pray that God would lead them to his perfect will.

Jeff and Angel had an opportunity to host a small child last year and it was then, when that child had left that Jeff knew God had much more in store for their family. As they began to look at faces of orphaned children, they prayed for God to show them the face of their daughter or son. When they saw the face of “Tali”, they knew she was the daughter God would use to grow their family. Tali has the special need of CP ( cerebral Palsy), but her greatest need is the love of a forever family.

They have begun the task of working, Marching in Faith to bring this precious little girl home. wont be without bumps or bruises, delays and trials, but they are determined to do whatever it takes to bring her home. Home to family and Love

1/11/2018 — TRAVELING LATE JANUARY

$2,047.60
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Jacob and Sarah had that “love at first sight” moment 13 years ago at Dallas Baptist University and never stopped living the fairy tale. Jacob is a Vice President at Alliant Insurance Services and Sarah is a fitness bootcamp instructor / stay at home mom with their 6 children ages 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10. After the adoption of #6, they knew they had room in their hearts and home for one more and started looking at Reece’s Rainbow for the perfect child with “something extra.” The whole family is so excited to welcome their new sister, soon to be named “Noelle”!

Matt and Sara have been married for 15 years and have 7 children, 2 of them adopted from Ukraine. Shortly after their 5th child was born, they saw a photo on the Reece’s Rainbow website of a young girl who looked like she could be their daughter. They began the adoption process, and God richly blessed their journey and unique way of adding to their family. They also brought home a young son that year. The transition has gone well overall and both kids are absolutely amazing! They are so loving, and the family cannot imagine life without them. Looking back, it feels like they have always been with them. Their other children have been very supportive and also want to adopt someday.

Fast forward to 2017. Matt and Sara have never stopped thinking about adoption and whether adopting again would be right for them. Would they still be supported if adding to their family again? After all, even 7 children is far past the national average in America. Would others understand the great need that is out there? After a recent road trip with much time to think, they saw two boys newly listed on the Reece’s Rainbow website and decided to follow their hearts and step forward in faith once again. It truly felt like their family was not yet complete and that adoption would grow their family yet again.

One evening, their oldest daughter also asked for the Reece’s Rainbow website address and began looking through photos of waiting girls. She brought a few to Mom and Dad’s attention, and soon 3 of the girls were looking at profiles together. As a result, the family also hopes to bring home an older daughter if it is God’s will. Altogether, it would even out the kids – 5 girls and 5 boys.

In addition to road trips across the US and Canada, the Baerbock family enjoys nature walks, family movie nights, and trips to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and State Fair. They are also involved in their church through Sunday School and the church council. The girls enjoy track and gymnastics, and one daughter has even made it onto the local gymnastics team!

The family would be honored and humbled by your support and encouragement to help bring their children home. Please pray for them that all may go smoothly. You can follow their journey at their blog: www.postzero.com/adoption_journey

2/5/18 — TRAVELING NOW

$6,841.85
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Jason and Alex Parsley have been happily married for 13 years and have a beautiful family of 5 (now going on 6!). They have 3 biological children: Lily, their oldest daughter, of 12 years old; Laila, their 2nd daughter, at 10 years old, and Jed, their son, who is now 6 years old. Jason and Alex have both been very active in ministry for many years and are very passionate about loving people. Over the last 3 years a stirring began in their hearts for the Orphan Crisis and they began seeking to make a difference . Alex and Lily were led to a mission trip in Asia last year to work with orphans when they met Ethan. They loved him from the moment they saw his sweet little face and he stole a very special place in their hearts. The Parsley family spent almost a year praying over him, praying that he would have the loving family he needed, and asking the Lord to lead them to the child He has for them. After months of searching for his file, accepting that they might not, and praying over many other children, God lead them right back to Ethan. And they are so ready to have this sweet little angel in their arms. The Parsleys are doing everything they can to be good stewards of what they have and raise funds creatively as well. However, they still need help, and would be honored if you would support them in bringing Ethan home.

You can follow their adoption journey at www.spiritorchard.com for regular updates. Thank you in advance for your considerations, support, and donations.

1/19/2018 — TA RECEIVED; TRAVELING FEB 1

$18,591.00
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Mark and Rachel Parkinson have been happily married 16 years. We have three beautiful children.. Christian, Naomi and Ella. We have a fun farmette where we enjoy all of our animals and plenty of fresh air!

Adoption has been on Rachel’s heart since she was a little girl…she dreamt of having her own orphanage one day. As time has gone by and prayers for direction made, the Lord opened their eyes to the needs of the orphans of Eastern Europe. Thus has begun our amazing journey leading us to commit to a beautiful little girl “Emma”. We feel so blessed to be called to bring her into our home and call her our own……she is in a very tough place and we are raising funds to bring her home as soon as possible!

1/22/2018 — TRAVELING NOW

$2,919.65
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

God has given the Wade family the privilege to parent three biological children. Although tough at times, being a parent has been one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives.

Upon beginning the journey of adoption, they started in the State of Georgia Foster Care program through The Department of Family and Children Services, feeling strongly that God had called them to pursue children from hard places. Because Kalee’s brother was adopted through the foster care system and she had been around foster children all of her teenage life, this felt like the obvious place for them to stand in the gap.

After spending a year praying, reading profiles of children and waiting for what God had in store for them, they came across their son’s profile — who will soon be named Leo — on Reece’s Rainbow. They learned that he was in an orphanage and had Down Syndrome, and that statistically, was highly unlikely to get adopted. They decided to take a month to pray and ask the Lord if they should pursue him, understanding that God would open all of the doors necessary if he was their son. They were so excited when we filed commitment paperwork and they came back with a match. Their only reservation was the amount of money it would to take to get him home. The Wades are a family of five on one income, so they really had to trust that God would provide every fee along the way. He is faithful to complete the work He has called them to and He has no limitations. The Wade family feels like adoption is such a tangible way to live out the gospel. When they envision how God left the comforts and glory of heaven, to pursue us and bring us into His family, they are beyond grateful. Even though we had nothing to offer Him and the cost was great, He did it because of His love for us. It is God’s heart for the fatherless that has grown this family’s affections for adoption.

John and Sheryl met 16 years ago while working at an agency that provides supports for adults with intellectual disabilities. They were married five years later, while continuing to work at the same agency. They had always planned on adopting a child with Down syndrome, but their prayers were answered, and a lot of money was saved, when their second biological child, Remy, was born with Down syndrome. Sadly, Remy passed away tragically shortly after his fourth birthday.

Sheryl and John reconvened to see if adopting a child with Down syndrome was still in their hearts. After talking with their two young children, they decided that, yes, they would step out in faith and trust and begin the process to open their home to another child with Down syndrome.

As soon as Sheryl and John saw Dwight’s picture, they knew he was their son. During the waiting process, the whole family is passing the time enjoying learning about his culture, history, foods and holidays. They’re eagerly anticipating flying to Asia late Fall to bring their newest family member HOME!

1/10/2018 — TRAVELING in LATE JANUARY

$10,827.79
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Forrest and Valerie’s journey toward adopting a child with Down syndrome started in May of 2014, while they were at the beach with family. In a still, quiet moment, as the sun was setting and the waves were lapping at the seashore, a vague perception came to Valerie that she might someday adopt a child with special needs. Forrest and Valerie were not at the time ready to act on the “message”, but thinking it might be from God, they held the moment and tucked it away for safekeeping.

In the subsequent months, they became involved in the life of an adult friend who has an intellectual disability, has limited family support, and is full of great joy and the love of God. While caring for this friend, he began to refer to Valerie as his “play mom” and Forrest as his “play dad”. Becoming surrogate parents for this friend with special needs made Forrest and Valerie’s thoughts turn toward adoption, and, at the same time, they felt a tug on their hearts to learn more about Down syndrome.

Over the course of many months, they found books to read, watched movies, and gathered information from the internet pertaining to Down syndrome. In early 2016, they found Reece’s Rainbow and were excited to learn about an organization devoted to raising awareness of and grant money for adoptions of children with Down syndrome. Through Reece’s Rainbow, they found out about a then two year-old little boy, “Mick”, who loves music and enjoys dancing and riding his rocking horse; he touched their hearts powerfully.

Shortly thereafter, Forrest and Valerie committed to pursuing adoption of Mick. Forrest and Valerie traveled to Mick’s home country in July 2017 to register for his adoption and to meet their future son. That was a joyful event, and they eagerly hope to return to finalize the adoption and bring Mick home in late 2017 or early 2018.

10/9/2017 — FIRST TRIP COMPLETE

$14.55
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Laurie was raised in a large family, in a small town near the shores of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota. There were eight children in the family including Laurie and her identical twin sister. With many cousins growing up in nearby towns, crowds were always expected during holidays or weekend getaways at the family cabin. Eventually, children grew up and moved away to school or jobs as far away as Alaska and Indonesia. Nieces and nephews joined the family and Laurie settled in central Minnesota. While working at a group home there she became licensed to do foster care and soon a four year old boy moved into her home. Three years later Laurie adopted him. When her son was eight years old the little family moved to Minneapolis and Laurie attended school, graduated and moved back to the northeastern part of the state. She began working as a Educational Sign Language Interpreter in the public school system and has been doing that for the past 28 years.

While browsing on line one day, Laurie came upon Reece’s Rainbow and was immediately drawn in, looking at children’s photos and reading family adoption stories. Children with a variety of needs were of special interest ever since high school when Laurie developed a friendship with student who had Down syndrome. Laurie was also involved in the Special Olympics, both while working at group homes and while raising her own son. The picture of one child on the Reece’s Rainbow site caused Laurie to return to the site again and again. She began advocating for that child, posting information about Reece’s Rainbow on social media and donating to families. That did not seem as though it were enough and after eight years that child who had caused her to return to the site so many times, was aging out. This meant he would lead a life without a great deal of learning and opportunity. Sooooo … Laurie is stepping into the world of adoption once again after 30 years! Let’s see where this journey takes her!

12/27/2017 — FIRST TRIP JAN 20

$15,580.45
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

The Lang Family is excited to be adopting again. Peter and Daphne have been married for 25 years and have 1 biological child, 1 adopted child from Taiwan and two children adopted from China. They are stepping out of faith and following the Lord on a new journey. This time the Lord led them to Winston a thirteen year old boy waiting in Asia who is going to age out soon!! He is so full of joy and wants a family of his own. We are on a race against the clock and pray many will rally around us and make this precious boys dream come true.

Mike and Ruth have been married for 18 years. They have 4 children – ages 18 to 5 years old and in addition an 18 month old foster to adopt African American child. When their 5 year old daughter, Emma was born, the family discovered she had Down Syndrome. Having Emma in their lives opened them up to the heart of the Father – which is those orphaned and those with special needs. The family began to open their homes to international orphans thru a hosting program.

Ruth met “Susana” while on a trip to her orphanage in September 2015. Susana lives in a war-stricken orphanage in Eastern Europe. Many of the children in her orphanage have seen first-hand the effects of war & conflict.

The family brought Susana home in December 2015, to spend Christmas with their family and for her to be seen by a team of specialists at UNC Chapel Hill. She has what is known as lymphatic vascular malformation. While it is not necessarily life threatening, without treatment the growth will continue to grow and affect many aspects of her daily life, including her jaw and her ability to eat. She will need to receive treatment for this genetic issue for the rest of her life.

The family soon discovered that Susana is not defined by this malformation! She is sweet and spunky, full of life and laughter! She steals hearts with everyone she meets. Her potential knows no bounds!

As an orphan advocate family and ministry, when the family first met Susana there were no thoughts regarding adoption – our focus and prayers was to help her find a forever family! Over the months however, God was making it clear to the family that she is their special gift, their reward from the Lord!

Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from Him.
Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!

Psalm 127:3-5

12/20/2017 — APPT DATE on JAN 22

$226.55
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Brian Dupuis and Jennifer Shea met through mutual friends and began dating over 12 years ago. They both fell in love with each other’s honesty, humor, and love of life. They were married almost 9 years ago in a beautiful church just down the street from where Jennifer had grown up.

Brian and Jennifer have always realized that they were incredibly blessed with an amazing family and wonderful friends. They always knew that they had a lot to give… the couple had talked about adoption off and on for a few years and had even looked at a few adoption sites over those years, but they had never felt that it was the time to act. However, this past December when Jennifer saw a little boy “Pauly” on the Reece’s Rainbow website, she felt an instant connection. For the next several days she woke up thinking about him, he popped into her head at random times throughout the day, and she went to bed praying that he felt safe and loved- and that he would find a family soon. After sharing her experience with her husband, he agreed that it was time to move forward.

Although the couple does not currently have any children of their own, they have many amazing nieces, nephews, and godchildren who they adore. And with the most supportive family and friends by their side, they cannot wait to bring their adopted child into their extended family filled with unconditional love!

2/10/18 — COURT PASSED

$29.85
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

From as far back as Brianna can remember she has been inspired to adopt because of her sister. Her sister was adopted from Korea back in the 70’s. So, when Brianna and Josh got married it wasn’t a question that at some point they would adopt. They have almost been married 13 years and now have 7 biological boys ranging from 1 to 10 years old. The discussion has always been very open with their boys about adopting, but they have always said down the road. Maybe 10 years. Their 8-year-old is already making plans to adopt teenagers from foster care when he grows up. He talks constantly about adoption and ask every question under the sun. Adopting a special needs child hadn’t always been the plan though. Brianna has always been drawn to Down Syndrome kids and has looked through Reece’s Rainbow numerous times over the years. She’d always show kids to Josh, but they knew it wasn’t the right time. Special needs kids made him nervous. Then a little over a year ago he had a change of heart. He was completely on board with adopting a special needs child. Brianna continued to read blogs about other families adopting. One family in particular that was adopting 4 kids lead her to this specific country, so all she would look at was kids from there. One day though she pulled open 4 kids pages and when Josh got home she showed him. One adorable, little boy they closed instantly because there wasn’t a ton of information and it scared them. They both agreed to pray about the other 3 kids. Ultimately, they didn’t feel like God was telling them to adopt any of these 3 kids. A month or so later one of the pages Brianna follows on Facebook shared a blog by Wide Awake International. The little boy in the preview photo oddly looked familiar so she opened it up. And there right in front of her was that little boy that they had closed the webpage instantly on! It was love at first sight. His giggle and smile stole her heart. When Josh got home he couldn’t believe it. They both agreed to pray about this little boy, but already could tell God was speaking to them about him. A few days later as Brianna was carrying their youngest to the changing table after he had cried in the middle of the night she felt an overwhelming feeling that the little boy was meant to be there son. She texted Josh at work instantly and he agreed! They gave it fully to God to help them figure out the funds to commit to this little boy by Thanksgiving and He came through instantly. All their other boys are so excited! They had always begged for a sister, but the mention of a new brother brought no request for a sister and just the question of how fast can he be their brother. So now we are praying and doing whatever it takes to get him home and make him Branscum Boy #8!

Due to family circumstances that have changed they will not be able to bring the sweet boy home as planned, but a family leaving very soon is adding him to their adoption. They are thrilled to be adding two children to their family!

2/10/18 — COURT PASSED

$10,058.70
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

God has been working miracles in their hearts, and the Harmon family is adding a sweet little boy to their family! As their own four children slept safely in their beds, bellies full of food, hearts knowing they are loved, Nikki and Mikey wept as they scrolled through profiles of abandoned children who did not know the safety and love of a family. As they scrolled through page after page of profiles, they kept going back to one little boy who had touched their hearts. He was familiar to them somehow, and before the night was over they had emailed the agency for more information. They hardly slept that night as the weight of these forgotten children weighed heavily on their hearts and wet their pillows with tears. Over the next few days it became clear that God intended for this little boy to teach them about sacrifice and love. Suddenly their perspective had changed and nothing felt as important as bringing him home. Their children did not hesitate for a moment when Nikki and Mikey told them there was a child without a home who needed a family. They cannot wait to hold Landon in their arms!

A family of five, following God’s call to become eight, we are pursuing the adoption of a sibling trio, ages 14, 16, and 18. We hosted the oldest and youngest in our home during the summer of 2016. We loved them, but let life and excuses get in the way of pursuing them further. After 6 months of working in both of our hearts, we had a heart-to-heart with one another and realized we need to be obedient to God and become V8. We hope to bring home our teens mid-late 2017.

We live in a small town in southwest Minnesota. We have a 4-year old son and 2-year old twin girls. Our 4-year old asks regularly when the teenagers can come back because he believes we need to be their family. Our response: God’s will; God’s time.

2/10/2018 — COURT PASSED

$8,919.68
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Hi! We’re the Pattersons. We’ve been married for 23 years (Wow, time flies!) and currently have five children. Our two oldest are in college, our next two are in high school and our youngest is in fifth grade. Four years ago we adopted our youngest, Joseph. The past four years have been challenging but SO rewarding.

For over 2 years we have wanted to adopt again. We had been in process with another country when the adoption could not move forward. We were heartbroken. We had been praying about who our next child would be and hoping that we could adopt a little girl.

Despite the unknowns, we are ready to plow through the paperwork to bring our little girl home as soon as possible!! We appreciate your prayers and support so much as we begin this journey.

The Stolz family is adopting again. Jim and Mary have been married 33 years, and have 15 children; 5 biologically theirs, and 10 theirs through adoption. They have found that God is calling them particularly to older children, especially older children with Down syndrome in Eastern Europe who are close to aging out, and being condemned to an institution forever!

So far, the Stolz family consists of 9 children with Down syndrome, and they are making it an even 10 this year! Chad in Eastern Europe, just turning 16 years old, is going to finally have a home, with a mama and a papa, and lots of brothers and sisters to play with.

Multiple child adoptions are expensive. Back-to-back multiple child, older children adoptions are very expensive. Please consider helping these kids get home to their mama and papa!

11/18/2017 — FIRST TRIP COMPLETE; AWAITING COURT

$3,804.55
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

The Siebolds are a nerdy, laid back pair. They have been friends for 14 years and married almost 9 years. They all ready have 3 awesome kids! They are just regular people enjoying life in their home of Northwest Arkansas.

Joseph and Samantha met at 14 and 16 and have been together ever since. Even as dating teens, they were hopeful that fostering and adoption would be something they could do someday. They’ve learned about the need around the world since they were kids. They never could have guessed the many ups and downs they would experience when they began.

Joseph and Samantha’s decision to add to their family through adoption really started in November 2015. After moving from a small apartment to a large house and experiencing a miscarriage they knew that God could use them and the new home they’d been blessed to move into. When they lost their fourth baby the doctor assured them that it was not their fault and there was likely a developmental issue. The doctor saying this turned a light on. What wouldn’t they do to have that baby here regardless of any needs and differences? They began to research and realized the hundreds of waiting children with special needs.

They finished the application process and started their home study in January 2016.

Their first adoption of a little boy in 2016 was ended abruptly due to the closure of the pilot program in Africa. They did not imagine jumping in again after that. They were working to advocate for waiting children by fundraising and to come to terms with the heartbreaking loss. The little boy they fell in love with would not survive without being adopted and they couldn’t do more than support him from a distance.

However, the need for adoptive families was more clear than ever.

After things going so very unexpectedly, through all the heartbreak, their hearts opened wider than ever. The big picture here is one they never could have envisioned or created on their own. They saw “Roxy” on Reece’s Rainbow and inquired thinking they didn’t even qualify for her country program! They hoped to advocate for her, at least. This was exactly a year from when they submitted their initial home study application. They waited to hear whether they would be approved to commit to her and found peace in whatever the answer might be.

That was over a year ago. In November 2017, exactly one year after the other pilot adoption program was closed and two years after their miscarriage they were able to meet “Roxy” in person. She is 3 years old and only 17lbs! Her bold personality and sweet laugh made them fall in love with her instantly! They are eager to get her home to address her nutrition, her heart conditions, and the therapies she needs.

Through all of these things, the Siebolds have learned that the world is an imperfect place full of imperfect people. But, if all of us come together in small ways then lives can be changed! Life itself is about finding the good in the circumstances we are given. Even when the things we do seem small and even if we risk heartbreak – we can change the world!

They are so honored and excited to be this beautiful girl’s adoptive family! Adoption is never perfect because it comes from loss. But, the opportunity to step into this little girl’s life and fulfill her needs is the greatest blessing they have ever experienced. The Siebolds’ goal is to meet “Roxy” where she is at and give her everything they have to give. She deserves the world (and more) and they intend to try to change it for her! Even while doctors say she may never walk and experts say she will never talk they see their new daughter’s exponential value and potential.

When she joins the Siebold family, “Roxy” will have her Mama and Daddy ready to unconditionally love and advocate for her. She will have two big sisters and a big brother to love on her for a lifetime. Not to mention a big extended family and community to support and embrace her! Everyone is so excited to have her home.

2/2/18 — COURT PASSED; AWAITING FINAL TRIPRead more about the Siebolds and follow the family’s adoption on their blog: www.FictiveLife.com

$8,141.83
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Shawn and Jenni Zupfer have been married for 10 years and have an incredible 4 year old biological son. While they felt their family of three was complete, they knew they had more love to share and opened their hearts to international adoption. They completed their home study and were soon matched with a toddler.

When visiting their prospective child in country this past July, Jenni met a young boy named John who was at the same interim care center as their toddler. She knew instantly there was something remarkably special about this young boy after meeting him and hearing his story.

At a young age, John fell from a mango tree an injured a disc in his back, but was not able to have the medical care he needed. She learned he was a true orphan, having lost both his parents to the recent tragic Ebola outbreaks, which forced him to live on the streets in one of the country’s worst slums, and fend for himself for survival. Despite all that was working against him, he managed to keep himself in school; he is very bright. He is one of the most loving, kind, and tenderhearted young boys you will ever meet. He maintains a sweet disposition, a strong inner drive to achieve his dreams, and a desire to once again have a family to call his own. Shawn and Jenni were grateful to learn he was matched with a family so that he would have the opportunity to have a loving family, continue his education, and pursue his goals.

Recently, however, due to unforeseen circumstances and no fault of his own, the family pursuing his adoption was unable to proceed. John was left with few options as he will age out of adoption eligibility in early January 2017 and once again be on his own, and alone.

Upon learning John was in need of a family, without hesitation, Shawn and Jenni stepped forward to pursue his adoption. They quickly completed a whirlwind of paperwork and updated their home study to include a teenager. Now it is a race against time for everything to come together, including raising the remaining funds, for John to join their family.

12/19/16 — COURT PASSED; USCIS APPROVED

$2,704.41
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Lin is a single mother of nine, 6 are grown and on their own, the oldest, Sara, has Down syndrome and lives at home as do as her brothers, Cody and Logan, who also have Down syndrome. The boys are two of Andrea’s originals and were adopted from Ukraine in 2008. Raising the boys has been a challenge and a joy for Lin and she can’t imagine her life without them. For years Lin has kept an eye on Reece’s Rainbow kids, helping out when she could. Dawn was a particular favorite and she had been praying she would find a home. When she heard from a friend that Dawn would age out in a matter of days, Lin decided she wasn’t able to let that happen. She managed to submit her needed paperwork to USCIS and they accepted it the day before Dawn’s 16th birthday, the day she would no longer be eligible for adoption. The family is excited to see Dawn come home and Sara can’t wait to have a sister at home to even things out. As a single, older (older with a capital O!) mother this will be a financial stretch, but Lin knows she will see a way and would greatly appreciate any support and encouragement.

10/11/2017 — FIRST TRIP OCT 21

$108.00
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Bernie and Marabeth met in 2009 while working together at a helicopter plant. Eighteen months later they were married in a small ceremony surrounded by their five children, Meghan, Nicole, Brian, Joe and Shane. A little bit later Michael, who is blessed with Down Syndrome, came along. Shortly after that came the youngest, Maggie. Adoption was never something they knew much about until 2012 when a family from their church adopted a child through Reece’s Rainbow. After learning, through the other family’s journey, more about orphan situation and seeing the kids listed on Reece’s Rainbow, Marabeth was deeply moved and envisioned someday adopting a child with Down Syndrome. However, at the time she was pregnant, with a one year-old, and there were several seemingly impossible obstacles to overcome.

Still, she prayed over the next few years for God to either open the doors for them to adopt a child with Down Syndrome or else to give her a more practical vision for their lives. Then on November 18th, 2017 she felt an unusual urgency to pray about adopting a child again and this time she asked God to show her the next day in a specific way if they were meant to adopt or else she would drop the idea. Well, the next day mountains started moving out of the way for them as they started seriously investigating the adoption process. On December 27th, 2016 they saw Bella on a friend’s Facebook page and felt would she be a great fit in their family. Her siblings are all very excited to meet her, especially her younger sister Maggie who has been very busy making a giant stack of drawings to give Bella when she gets home, as well as big plans to share bedrooms and ballet classes. Bernie and Marabeth are also anxious to get her home and help her to learn to live as a beloved daughter in their family. They truly appreciate any and all support, prayers and well-wishes as they go through this process to bring their daughter home.

9/18/17—TRIP ONE SEPT 22

$8,876.50
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Kathy lives in West Michigan, where she was born and raised. Kathy was introduced to adoption – especially international adoption, and Reece’s Rainbow, when her daughter decided to adopt a little girl with Down syndrome from Eastern Europe. Her daughter and granddaughter returned home in December 2015. While following her daughter’s adoption and the year since, Kathy has helped as many families as she could, financially and prayerfully. She has also advocated for many children in need of families. Reading story after story about the life altering effects of adoption – for the child and parents – has been an inspiration to her.

After reading about the conditions children who have aged out face, and knowing those children would never know the love of a family, she knew she needed to do more. For the last few months Kathy has been contemplating and praying on what more she could do to help these children. So she is excited to announce that she is going to bring ‘Lana’ home before she ages out and loses the chance to live happily ever after knowing the love and joy of having a family!

Kathy raised her daughter as a single parent and knows the struggles it involves and the additional work it requires, but she decided that now is a good time to adopt an older child who is also from the same country where her granddaughter is from. Like her granddaughter, Lana rocks that awesome extra chromosome!

Any prayers and support, financially or emotionally, are greatly appreciated during her adoption process!

Jarret and April have been married for 10 years with three biological children. Their youngest daughter, Amelia, who is two, has Down syndrome. Here’s their story:

We received Amelia’s suspected diagnosis of Down syndrome the day she was born. Basically a doctor walked in and said, “You know your daughter probably has Down syndrome, right?” We did not. Afterwards, we were bombarded with questions, hypothetical scenarios with what her future might look like, social workers, specialists, and a lengthy heart test. To say that our joy over having a beautiful and precious newborn was replaced with instant fear would be an understatement.

Fast forward two years and all that uncertainty and fear has been replaced with absolute joy. Our daughter is one of God’s greatest blessings to our family, bringing us laughter, love, frustration, and all the typical emotions a two-year old brings. Those painful days of medical terms and fear of the future are replaced with love and hope. During the early days of Amelia’s birth, I saw God’s hand in so many things. We emerged stronger and more faithful, and I know God has a plan for Amelia’s life.

So how does this relate to today? One day, I clicked on a link to help a friend who was raising money to adopt a little boy with special needs. At the site, I also saw a picture of a little girl who is one-years old and has Down syndrome. She was adorable. She reminded me of my daughter. However, this little girl’s life is vastly different from Amelia’s world. She lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, given up for adoption because she has Down syndrome. Her name is Emma. My heart ached for her.

I thought of Emma over the next weeks and months. I wondered what her daily life was like. I thought of Amelia and all of the support our family gives her. I wondered if Emma gets any support. I wondered if she has ever been outside of the orphanage. Who feeds her? Plays with her? Bathes her? I knew that she should not be growing up in an orphanage and someone should do something.

More time passed, and I prayed that “the someone” who should do something would. I felt God’s nudges that “the someone” might be us. I thought of the objections I had to this plan. First, we don’t have money saved for an international adoption, and it’s a long and complex timeline. I watched Emma’s profile. I was sure she would be adopted soon. I struggled. I wanted God to take this off my heart, and he did not.

So, here we are, in the middle of the process to try and adopt Emma. To be honest, we are scared, nervous, and excited. We are asking for your prayers for Emma and our family, and if led, we invite you to make a tax-deductible monetary gift to Emma’s Reece’s Rainbow account to help us bring her home as soon as possible. Together, we can change her life. We know God is asking us to trust in him. We hope you will join us on this journey, because if not us, then who, and if not now, then when?

Please note: Donating from a FB application on your iPhone may not work. A workaround is to open a new page (outside of Facebook or Facebook Messenger) and type in: vincent.paytheransom.org from your phone or computer. Thank you so much for your love and support for Emma!

1/10/2018 — AWAITING FINAL TRIP

$10,373.03
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Things in ‘Alexis’s’ country didn’t go as planned, and we are very disappointed to tell everyone that ‘Alexis’ is not going to be joining our family. After working towards her adoption for a year, we are obviously upset.

Through a very difficult time, we decided to remain open to the possibility of adopting a different child who could still be a good fit for our family. Angie was able to review the files of waiting children while still in country, and we gravitated towards one of the available children after some discussion about what we felt we could handle. Angie was able to spend a significant amount of time with him at his orphanage, and we felt comfortable making the decision to move forward.

We are now ready to introduce everyone to ‘Ashton’. Angie was fortunate enough to celebrate his 10th birthday with him while in country, and our hope is that he will join our family forever, before Christmas this year. ‘Ashton’ has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, and bilateral second to third degree neurosensory hearing loss, so he communicates solely with the sign language used in his country. Angie and I have a lot to do to get ready for ‘Ashton’ to come home!

Because of all the unknowns in the process due to recent changes in the government, Angie had to fly to ‘Alexis’ and ‘Ashton’s’ country on a one way ticket, and spent much, much longer than expected in country, so this trip was quite a bit more expensive than we had anticipated. How long she had to be there also means that she was forced to take quite a bit of time off of work, and we have concerns that when she goes back to bring ‘Ashton’ home, the situation will be similar. Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards our adoption so far, and if anyone has the desire and the means to help us moving forward we greatly appreciate it.

We greatly appreciate all of the prayers and encouragement we have received throughout this adoption process. We would also love everyone’s continued prayers while we move forward, and try to prepare for the new normal for our family.

6/19/17—FIRST TRIP JUNE 24

$10,538.95
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Jason and Rebekah Waller have been married for almost 14 years and have 4 beautiful children. Adoption was only something they had discussed briefly as a “maybe one day” or “we might eventually” kind of notion. One day, after following a Reece’s Rainbow link a friend had posted on facebook, Rebekah came face to face with Tyler. She immediately felt a connection, but knew she couldn’t make that decision alone. After weeks of crying, praying, and constantly thinking about this precious boy, Jason agreed that they should contact someone for more info.

It’s been tough, but they can already see the great rewards. Their kids (especially the oldest) are super excited! Please pray for the process and for sweet Tyler.

10/2017 — COURT PASSED

$6,245.49
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

The Waller family has also received an Older Child Grant of $10,000 for Tyler.

Jennifer knew since childhood that her place in life was to adopt. When she was 11 her younger brother was born with Down Syndrome and from that moment on she knew she’d be adopting a child or children with Down Syndrome. Jennifer stumbled upon the Reece’s Rainbow website about 7 years ago and her eyes were opened to the plight of these children in other countries. There were many reasons standing in her way when she first found RR and she just wasn’t in a position to adopt. Finally last year she felt like it was the right time.

After many hours on the RR website and countless tears searching through the waiting children Jenn was still not sure if she would be adopting a baby or a child closer to Mia’s age. Then she took a look at the “At Risk of Aging Out” list. And saw Brett. And finally knew. This little boy abandoned in a field as a newborn and left to fend for himself in a mental institution for his entire childhood will soon be showered with more love, attention and opportunity than you cold ever imagine. Jenn and her 10 yo daughter Mia are so ready to welcome Brett into their family. Mia has been excitedly making plans for when her “little-big brother” comes home.

2/7/2017 — TRAVEL DATES RECEIVED

$602.29
has been donated towards the cost of our adoption!

Make the most of your gift, consider sending a check! Online donations to children with committed families incur a 3% PayPal transaction fee.

Michael and Elizabeth are eagerly waiting to bring Cara home! Michael comes from a family of 14 siblings, and has always wanted a house full of children. Together, Michael and Elizabeth now have 8 children. They both serve at their local church, where Michael helps lead worship. Theirs is a house full of music and worship. Elizabeth is a full time mother, and home-schools their children on their small farm in Oregon. She has had a longstanding desire and call on her life to adopt a child with special needs, and has been patiently waiting for the time God would open that door in her life. Several months ago, the Lord began leading Michael and Elizabeth down a meandering path to prepare for adoption. Doors seemed to open and close, but each bend in the road only reinforced their confidence that God was leading them. They began a homestudy to prepare for a child they had not found yet.

Finally, when they saw Cara’s profile on Reese’s Rainbow, they both fell in love. They found the little girl who had been waiting for them! Cara is an amazing, shining little girl from eastern Europe. Michael, Elizabeth and all of their children are excitedly and impatiently waiting to bring Cara home. Their home is overflowing with love and affection for this little girl. Please, won’t you consider investing in making this family whole?

https://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/Cara-2014.jpg378273Michelle Zoromskihttps://reecesrainbow.org/wp-content/uploads/officialrrlogo350web.pngMichelle Zoromski2017-06-13 13:00:192018-02-13 18:25:45CARA and WANIYA for the Grandt family -- OR